The invention is concerned with the type of wallcoverings comprising two plies which have been laminated together and whilst together, and moist, subjected to an embossing process and then piece-wound into rolls. One such wallcovering is sold extensively under the Trade name "ANAGLYPTA".
Such wallcovering has appeal in that it is not costly, in that the ultimate decorative effect it produces is primarily in the hands of the purchaser, in that it conceals defects in surfaces being covered, and in that the decorative effect can be changed or renewed without replacing the wallcovering. This appeal is so great that it tends to mask certain adverse features of the wallcovering in that difficulty can arise in some loss of emboss when pasted and hung and in obtaining a good embossing pattern match between adjacent strips of pasted wallcovering due to non-uniform stretching. The loss of emboss and stretching varies with the wetting that occurs during pasting, hanging and subsequent decoration with water-based paints or emulsions. Hence, such factors as quantity of paste, wetness of paste, soak time, type and thinning of paint or emulsion materials applied and general handling when wet can all contribute to the loss of emboss and amount of stretch. Whilst these factors can be reasonably judged or accommodated to give a fairly consistent stretch by a professional decorator they can give rise to an amateur appearance when ignored.